Landmark, bilingual guide to Māori idioms and new reo-only editions out ahead of Te Wiki o te Reo Māori

He Kete Kīwaha
A Practical Guide to Māori Idioms

Hona Black

Invaluable guide to more than 180 kīwaha (idioms) that can enrich te reo Māori speakers and learners at all levels

Plus He Iti te Kupu and Ngā Hapa Reo, Māori editions

Kia hiwa rā, kia hiwa rā!

Idioms — the everyday turns of phrase that give a language its character — are a key part of speaking fluently, and te reo Māori is rich in them. 

This collection, whose title translates as ‘a basket of idioms’, is the first book on Māori kīwaha in more than 25 years, and the first bilingual one.

It publishes on 10 September, just in time for Te Wiki o te Reo Māori – Māori Language Week, which starts on Monday 14th.

Drawing on extensive research and consultation with te reo experts including Sir Tīmoti Kāretu and Te Haumihiata Mason, newly appointed professor of te reo Māori Hona Black offers a comprehensive guide to more than 180 idioms — presented in Māori on the left-hand pages, English on the right.

Using one, two or three kete symbols, He Kete Kīwaha grades each idiom for difficulty so readers can access language to suit their level. 

In addition to clear explanations, each entry has examples from written sources and others created by the author. There are also spaces for readers to add their own idioms to the mix.

As Hona Black writes in the introduction: ‘Above all, the hope is that this book will be of value to those who aspire to weave Māori idioms naturally into their language use.’

Also publishing on 10 September are te reo Māori editions of two of Hona's popular earlier books. 

             

He Iti te Kupu: Ngā Huahuatau me Ngā Kupu Whakarite contains nearly 500 metaphors and similes that draw a comparison between something (often the natural world) and people, events or contexts. It was first published in 2021 in Māori and English, and has sold over 10,000 copies.

Ngā Hapa Reo, co-written by Te Aorangi Murphy-Fell and published bilingually in 2024, identifies the main errors that crop up in modern Māori, offering examples and then guiding readers on how to make corrections.

These Māori-only editions target learners in Māori-medium schools and immersion classes, and proficient speakers who don’t need the support of English.

The original bilingual editions remain in print, of course! 

Kia kaha te reo Māori!

The author 

Hona Black (Tūhoe, Te Whānau a Apanui, Te Whakatōhea, Ngāti Tūwharetoa) is the inaugural professor of te reo Māori at Te Kawa a Māui at Te Herenga Waka, University of Wellington. He was previously a lecturer in Māori at Massey University in Palmerston North. 

Hona is the author of He Iti te Kupu: Māori Metaphors and Similes, Te Reo Kapekape: Māori Wit and Humour and, with Te Aorangi Murphy-Fell, Ngā Hapa Reo: Common Māori Language Errors. He is from the Ruātoki Valley, and lives with his whānau in Porirua.

HE KETE KĪWAHA

Publication: 10 September 2026  |  ISBN: 9781991353030  |  RRP $45

Paperback, 210 x 248 mm portrait, 408 pages, black & white

HE ITI TE KUPU (MĀORI EDITION)
Publication: 10 September 2026 | ISBN: 9781991353085 | RRP $34.99  Paperback, 210 x 148 mm, 124 pages, black & white

NGĀ HAPA REO (MĀORI EDITION)

Publication: 10 September 2026 | ISBN: 9781991353092 | RRP $34.99

 Paperback, 210 x 148 mm, 176 pages, black & white

Māori-Lule Sámi-English picture book confronts the plastic in our oceans

He Ata te Raru ki Tai?

What’s the Matter with the Sea?

Mij le ábijin dáhpáduvvamin?

 

Rita Sørly

Illustrated by Malgorzata Piotrowska

Māori translation by Kanapu Rangitauira

Lule Sámi translation by Are Tjihkkom

English translation by Maria Nayr de Pinho Correia Ibrahim and Charlotta Maria Langejan

Alerted to the unusual appearance of a rare whale in the north of Norway, Māori marine biologists Aihe and Whina set out from Otago to track its path and find out what is going wrong with the world’s oceans. 

 

In a world first, this unique picture book is trilingual in Māori, the endangered Lule Sámi language, and English (which acts like subtitles, secondary to the indigenous languages). 

It centres the connection between the Sámi peoples of Norway and Māori, while telling a thoughtful story that highlights the need to care for our marine environment.

 

The international coedition with Sámi publisher Davvi Girji was launched at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair on 13 April 2026, as reported in the prestigious Publishing Perspectives magazine. 

The launch included a recorded reading by te reo translator Kanapu Rangitauira and his whānau.

 

Alongside promotion by Davvi Girji, Nord University in Norway and the Norwegian book agency NORLA, Oratia Books is delighted to preview the book’s release on UN World Oceans Day, 8 June.

He Aha te Raru ki Tai? What's the Matter with the Sea? Mij le ábijn dáhpáduvvamin? is on sale at good booksellers from 11 June.

The author, illustrator and translators 

Rita Sørly is a professor in social work, and director of the Arctic Nord blog Youth Research Center at The Arctic University of Norway. She lives Tromsø, northern Norway.

Malgorzata Piotrowska is a Polish-Norwegian illustrator and author of children’s and adults’ books.

Kanapu Rangitauira (Te Arawa, Ngāti Porou, Te Whakatōhea) is a translator and teacher of te reo Māori who has translated a number of children's books for Oratia.

Lule Sámi translation by Are Tjihkkom; English translation by Maria Nayr Correia Ibrahim & Charlotta Maria Langejan.

Some of the team behind the book at the Bologna Children's Book Fair, April 2026

Publication Date: 11 June 2026  |  ISBN: 9781991353016  |  RRP $29.00

Hardback, 230 x 230 mm, 48 pages, colour

Ko Tenga o Waikuta

Here’s a welcome addition to the ranks of children’s books in te reo Māori, produced by the whānau of frequent Oratia contributor and translator Kanapu Rangitauira.

Ko Tenga o Waikuta is a full Māori translation of the book Tenga of Waikuta (1992), written by the late educationalist Kelvin Smyth with photos the renowned Ans Westra, who passed away this year.

Ko Tenga o Waikuta presents a visual diary of a day in the life of Tenga Rangitauira, a seven-year-old Māori boy from Rotorua — describing his family, kura, and friends, as well as cultural activities including tangihanga (funeral ceremony) and the famous love story of Hinemoa and Tutanekai.

To get your copies (priced at $20, plus $9 freight), contact tengaowaikuta@gmail.com

 

How to be funny in te reo Māori | The Project NZ

Hona Black and his new book, Te Reo Kapekape: Māori Wit and Humour
on The Project NZ. 

Kei te reo Māori inaianei te paetukutuku o Oratia – Oratia web pages now in te reo Māori

I te kainamutanga o Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, e harikoa ana a Oratia Media ki te tuku i tā mātou paetukutuku i te reo Māori me te reo Ingarihi hoki.

With Māori Language Week about to start, Oratia Media is pleased to make our website available in te reo Māori as well as English. 

 

Mā te pāwhiri i ngā pātene reo Ingarihi, reo Māori rānei i te pito mauī whakarunga o ngā whārangi matua o www.oratia.co.nz, e taea ai e ngā manuhiri te tīpako i te reo e hiahiatia ana.

By clicking on buttons for English or Māori at the top left of the main pages on www.oratia.co.nz, visitors to the site can choose their preferred language. 

 

Mā te whai paetukutuku reorua e whakaatu i tō mātou manawanuitanga ki te whanaketanga me te whakamahinga o te reo Māori i ia rā i ia rā, ā, he whakamihi anō hoki i ngā reo whaimana o Aotearoa. 

Having a bilingual website reflects our commitment to the development and use of te reo Māori everyday, and recognises the official languages of Aotearoa New Zealand. 

 

E mihi ana ki te kaiwhakawhiti reo rēhita, a Kanapu Rangitauira, i āna whakamāoritanga tino pai rawa atu. 

 

Our thanks to registered translator and regular contributor, Kanapu Rangitauira, for his excellent translation. 

Ka mahi tonu a Oratia Books kia nui haere ai tā mātou rārangi pukapuka reo Māori, reorua hoki, pērā i ngā whakaputanga o tēnei marama: Te Reo Kapekape: Māori Wit and Humour, nā Hona Black, me Te Pukapuka ka Kore e Pānuihia, nā Tim Tipene rāua ko Nicoletta Benella, ā, nā Kanapu i whakamāori. 

 

Oratia Books will continue to increase our list of Māori language resources and bilingual books, as evidenced by this month’s publications: Te Reo Kapekape: Māori Wit and Humour, by Hona Black, and The Book that Wouldn’t Read/Te Pukapuka ka kore e Pānuihia, by Tim Tipene and Nicoletta Benella, translated by Kanapu. 

Kia kaha te reo Māori!

The late Sir Toby Curtis lays out a wero to future generations in new book written with Lorraine Berridge McLeod

Toby Curtis
Unfinished Business – Ki hea āpōpō

Sir Toby Curtis with Lorraine Berridge McLeod

The late Te Arawa leader sets out his life from poverty to  knighthood with frank views on education and racism

Knowing that he was unwell, over the past year the late Sir Toby Curtis worked with long-time friend Dr Lorraine Berridge McLeod to record his life and views on key areas from his stellar career — especially Māori education and leadership, and his experience of racism. 

Toby Curtis – Unfinished business: Ki hea āpōpō follows Toby’s progress from his humble origins through family life and his mahi as a teacher and lecturer, government adviser in education and broadcasting, and leader of the Te Arawa iwi confederation. 

Interspersed throughout are text boxes that take a more academic approach to key issues like the loss of te reo, religious colonisation, educational underachievement and government policy.

The result is an engaging story of a life emerging from the shadows of a Pākehā-led model to a bicultural society, balanced with opinions that will challenge and inform thinkers for years to come. 

Sir Toby passed away on 17 August. This book stands as his legacy to the nation he cared about so passionately, and sets out a wero (challenge). 

As the subtitle indicates, Tā Toby felt his life’s work to be unfinished, with a long way to go to for Aotearoa. Ki hea āpōpō!

Moe mai, moe mai, moe mai rā e te rangatira. Rest in peace, chief. Your words carry forward the business for others to finish.

The authors

Sir Toby Curtis (Ngāti Rongomai, Ngāti Pikiao) had a distinguished teaching career before lecturing at AUT University. After retiring to Rotoiti, Rotorua, he led the Te Arawa Lakes Trust for 16 years, among many other roles. Sadly, he passed away before this book could be published. 

From a farming background, Lorraine Berridge McLeod was a teacher, principal lecturer at AUT, dean of early childhood education in Auckland and then associate professor of education in the United Arab Emirates. A long-time colleague of Sir Toby’s, she lives in Taranaki. 

Publication Date: 17 November 2022 |  ISBN: 978-1-99-004230-0  |  RRP $39.99

Paperback, 234 x 153 mm portrait, 180 pages, black & white with colour sections     

He whakarewatanga rawe kei Te Papa-i-oea

Whakarongo ki ō Tūpuna/Listen to your Ancestors has just been launched today in an uplifting event at the beautiful Wharerata homestead on the Massey University campus, Te Papa-i-oea/Palmerson North. 

Fittingly for Te Wiki o te Reo Māori/Maori Language Week, most of the event was in te Reo, with translation into te Reo Pākeha (English) — much like the book itself. 

Te Hamua Nikora (left) shares his wit and oratory at  the launch

MC and media personality Te Hamua Nikora (Ngāti Porou) had the audience alternately reflecting and cracking up as he praised author Darryn Joseph and encouraged those attending to buy multiple copies. 

"This book contains real mauri (spirit) and may it be a blessing to all who read it. 

"And today there's a chance to take some of that mauri home!" he added. 

Darryn Joseph speaks about the genesis and realisation of his book

Darryn paid tribute to illustrator Munro Te Whata and editor Carolyn Lagahetau for imbuing Whakarongo ki ō Tūpuna with that mauri and to Oratia Books "for giving te Reo a space to fly." 

Darryn (left) and Cynthia White read in Māori and English respectively

He and Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof Cynthia White jointly read the book to the approximately 100 guests attending, including a group from Palmerston North Intermediate Normal School who provided a beautiful waiata a ringa/action song.

The tribute to teachers was appropriate, given the book's dedication:
Tūturu, whakamaharatia, whakamīharotia,

whananuia ō tātou kaiako ahorangi!

Mōhio koe ki tō ake tino!

Let’s remember and celebrate our amazing teachers!

You know your own favourite!

Queuing for their copies

Tuhinga o mua o te roopu Oratia, ngā manaakitanga ki a koe e Darryn, ki Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa, me ngā kaihoko pukapuaka a Bruce McKenzie Booksellers. 

Our appreciation to Darryn and Munro and whānau, to Massey University for hosting the launch, and to Corey from Bruce McKenzie Booksellers for selling copies on the day. 

An author kept busy dedicating copies to the many who attended

Whakarongo ki ō Tūpuna is available through good booksellers everywhere, and if you're in Palmerston North, get along to Bruce McKenzie Booksellers for your copy.

Celebrating Māori Language Week with a new picture book in te Reo

One night in June 2016, Massey University language lecturer Darryn Joseph sat in a hospital room minding a teacher who had become a dear friend and mentor to him. 

Darryn wrote her a poem of appreciation, kissed her hand and said goodbye; the next day she passed away. 

That poem is contained in Whakarongo ki ō Tūpuna/Listen to your Ancestors, a picture book in te Reo Māori with English translation, publishing today during Te Wiki o te Reo Māori/Māori Language Week.

The story follows a beloved teacher giving her pupils and grand-daughter guidance by directing them to follow the examples of Māori gods and ancestors.

“Every teacher teaches you something, but a few special teachers leave lasting impressions that stay with you for life,” says Darryn.

The book is illustrated by emerging artist Munro Te Whata, who has vividly brought to life settings in a school, the outdoors and a rest home in a colourful style.

Whakarongo ki ō Tūpuna teaches the values represented by Māori gods and ancestors, and provides a much-needed tool for reading in te Reo. But at its heart this is a story of love and respect, harking back to the friendship that inspired its writing. 

Darryn Joseph

The authors

Darryn Joseph (Ngāti Maniapoto) is a senior lecturer in Māori language at Massey University, Palmerston North, and the author of more than 23 books, mainly for Māori immersion education. Darryn is a trustee of Storylines and was a judge for the 2018 NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. Munro Te Whata (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Porou) is a dynamic young animator, artist and writer who has illustrated several books. He lives in Auckland. 

Munro Te Whata (left) with the book's editor, Carolyn Lagahetau

Publication: 10 September 2019  |  ISBN: 978-0-947506-62-9 |  RRP $24.99

Paperback, 270 x 21o mm, 32 pages colour

Book giveaway: Favourite Māori Legends (2013)

Alexander Wyclif (A.W.) Reed became New Zealand’s most prolific author and publisher in the course of the twentieth century. His works on Māori and Aboriginal culture and language remain in print 40 years after his death, with his retellings of myths and legends among his most sought-after books. 

A.W. Reed

So when we discovered this collection was out of print, we agreed with Reed’s long-time colleague and literary agent Ray Richards to publish a newly designed paperback. Editor Ross Calman (Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Toa, Kāi Tahu) carefully revised the stories, and we reproduced the lovely original illustrations by Roger Hart.

Ray sadly passed away the month before the new Favourite Māori Legends was publsihed, but his assurance that the book would serve a new readership was spot on. The book has reprinted several times and has attracted international interest, with an edition in Spanish (Ediciones Sigueme, Salamanca) and other languages in negotiation.

Visit our Fb Page  to be in to win a copy of Favourite Māori Legends! Prize available to New Zealand residents only. 

Competition closes on Monday 1 July, and winner announced on Tuesday 2 July.

Putting the map back into Māori Maps

We're happy to share the news of improvements to the Māori Maps website, a charitable venture supported by Oratia.  

After completing a redevelopment of www.maorimaps.com in January to enable it to be viewed effectively on mobile devices, the team has just reinstated the full map search function to the site.

Now www.maorimaps.com features a navigable map of all of Aotearoa, and has a tab on the menu bar that allows you to go to this overall map at any point. Click here to view.

Thanks to the users who requested that we reproduce this core function from the old site into the new, responsive site - and to the team at Zest IT for implementation.

Here's the post from Māori Maps on Facebook.